(Mongoose) Starship Troopers! RPG, miniatures and graphic novels!

[Mongoose_Matt]

Hi guys,

Scott: Chaplains are most certainly going to be in th egame.

Trancejeremy: Something seems to have pushed your button there. All I can say is that in the Free World, we practice Free Speech.

Zaruth: Platoon XP. . . Hmm. . .

BryonD: You have read more Heinlein books that just Starship Troopers? And you think he was in any way advocating just one political system? I am also not sure I believe that ST says anything about Heinlein's _personal_ politics. It also seems a track record in handling licenced products well does not count for much. . .

Whimsical: Worry not - we are going to have 'ailen' aliens!

Slash: Every species featured in Roughnecks will have a place in the games.

PaganPriest: I'll have an argument with you at a later date of why the government of ST is not all sweetness and light However, for the game, you will likely find in the government what you bring with you. A lot of questions will be asked in it, and not all of them answered. . .

The miniatures, BTW, will be 30mm in scale.

 

[BryonD]

BryonD: You have read more Heinlein books that just Starship Troopers? And you think he was in any way advocating just one political system? I am also not sure I believe that ST says anything about Heinlein's _personal_ politics. It also seems a track record in handling licenced products well does not count for much. . .

Yes, quite a few of them several times.

Have you? I can't imagine that you have read Expanded Universe, which includes non-fiction essays on such topics as Starship Troopers.

Who said anything about "one" political system? (Other than you perhaps)

And, correct, a track record with other products counts for nearly zero when compared to an ill-informed statement out of the blocks on a specific license.

 

[scottdunphy]

And, correct, a track record with other products counts for nearly zero when compared to an ill-informed statement out of the blocks on a specific license.

Well, I'm gonna jump to Matt's defense here. I think I've read as much Heinlein as anyone else here (all of it) and while I may be a little worried about the direction they are taking some aspects in (see my earlier posts), I am willing to give Mongoose a chance. If you know about Heinlein's relationship with Hollywood you know he was just happy to see his stuff get made and even happy to see it ripped off well (i.e. "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" and "The Trouble with Tribbles"). I think he would have approved of the movie because it was a lot of fun and hopefully the same thing will be true of the RPG.

Of course I'm not actually going to buy the product because it's not D20

 

[BryonD]

Well, I'm gonna jump to Matt's defense here. I think I've read as much Heinlein as anyone else here (all of it) and while I may be a little worried about the direction they are taking some aspects in (see my earlier posts), I am willing to give Mongoose a chance. If you know about Heinlein's relationship with Hollywood you know he was just happy to see his stuff get made and even happy to see it ripped off well (i.e. "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" and "The Trouble with Tribbles"). I think he would have approved of the movie because it was a lot of fun and hopefully the same thing will be true of the RPG.

Of course I'm not actually going to buy the product because it's not D20

Sure, I can agree with all of that.

I didn't like the movie and was slightly disappointed at the passing of an opportunity. But it never claimed to be in “the spirit” of the novel, either. So it was never an issue to me.

I don’t care what direction they take they game, and have no reason to think RAH would either. But if they claim this represents the book, then I disagree. And not caring what direction they go does not mean that I see no significance in questionable statements.

 

[scottdunphy]

I don’t care what direction they take they game, and have no reason to think RAH would either...

Well that's sad. The guys from Mongoose make themselves very available on this forum and they really don't have to do that. They also seem to be listening to our input. If you want to see a better game, then come up with some constructive criticism. But if you really don't care then please don't piss these guys off or they might take their toys and go home.

 

[BryonD]

Well that's sad. The guys from Mongoose make themselves very available on this forum and they really don't have to do that. They also seem to be listening to our input. If you want to see a better game, then come up with some constructive criticism. But if you really don't care then please don't piss these guys off or they might take their toys and go home.

I don't mean "I don't care" in that sense. I just mean that if they want to base it on the movie or whatever, it makes no difference to me. It could be interpreted that I think a ST game should embody Heinlein's philosophy. But I don't think that. I don't care which way they take the game, they can make a great game based on Heinlein or they can make a great game that ignores him. But if they claim to capture "the spirit" of the novel and show a clear lack of understanding of it, I care about that.

I thought I offered some mild constructive criticism in my first post (don't get hung up trying to capture the political stuff, just make a fun game). And I did not plan to respond further. But Matt directly challenged my knowledge AND put false words in my mouth, so I responded.

 

[Mongoose_Matt]

Don't worry Scott Every time we have announced a licensed game, we have been told that we would foul it up. I remember someone on these very boards telling me that taking Judge Dredd was a bad business decision. Umm, no Instead, I am happy for our track record with handling Judge Dredd, Slaine, Babylon 5 and now Conan to speak for itself.

Besides, judging a book before it is even written, let alone released, is _every_ roleplayer's right and duty!

I can well understand why some companies (you know who they are) make very determined efforts to stay away from public forums such as this. They save themselves so much grief and can get on with actually developing their games and supplements. There is a factor of 'Internet-Evil-Twin-Syndrome' as well. The EN World boards are pretty cool but you do not have to travel very far to find posts aimed at various publishers that are at best thoughtless and at worst downright rude - I am sure these people are nice and reasonable in every day life but the Internet personality can rise to the surface a little too quickly!

On the other hand, I would like to think that however Mongooe grows (or shrinks!) in the next few years, I can still visit boards such as this one in relative safety and shoot the breeze with you guys. And yes, your comments really do count. On RPG.net, someone made a cracking idea for an ST supplement. Right here, someone suggested Platoon XP (not something we considered up to now or planned, and we have no idea whether it can be fitted in, but it is an appealing idea).

So, if you have a cracking idea, let us know. If you think we are going in the wrong direction, let us know. Personal comments will be ignored utterly and fed to our pet Mongoose.

Oh, and for the record, whether you are pro- or anti-Heinlein-fascist, you will find what you are looking for in the new game. I just have my own opinion and, when I have finished the ST Bible we are currently preparing, I will happily debate it with anyone! But just because I hold a certain opinion, it does not automatically mean it will be translated into the game. As I said before, you will find what you bring with you.

 

[BryonD]

Besides, judging a book before it is even written, let alone released, is _every_ roleplayer's right and duty!

Well, just to be clear, I am not judging the book. I am judging your previous posts AFTER you wrote them. If you think your interetation of ST trumps, RAH's then that says something to me.

But if you are going to pretend that I have simply been thoughtless and rude, then there is nothing I can do about it.

 

[Mongoose_Matt]

Well, just to be clear, I am not judging the book. I am judging your previous posts AFTER you wrote them. If you think your interetation of ST trumps, RAH's then that says something to me.

But if you are going to pretend that I have simply been thoughtless and rude, then there is nothing I can do about it.

I never said anything of the kind. I do believe, however, that ST in particular has the potential to a) spark a debate and b) produce more than one opinion. This argument has been going on since before RPGs existed and I believe that the debate is worth investigating within the confines of the RPG. Some people will prefer to blast bugs, and they will be catered for. Others might find this interesting.

However, if anyone believes they are fundamentally right on this issue or any other related, they will not see anything to the contrary in the RPG.

I never said I could trump Heinlein. . .

 

[BryonD]

I never said anything of the kind. I do believe, however, that ST in particular has the potential to a) spark a debate and b) produce more than one opinion. This argument has been going on since before RPGs existed and I believe that the debate is worth investigating within the confines of the RPG. Some people will prefer to blast bugs, and they will be catered for. Others might find this interesting.

However, if anyone believes they are fundamentally right on this issue or any other related, they will not see anything to the contrary in the RPG.

I never said I could trump Heinlein. . .

Fair enough.

And for what it is worth, I fully understand that the ST frachise now goes far, far beyond the book. I do not doubt for a moment that a highly successful series of games and comics can potentially be established regardless of the political tone.

My only point is that if you claim to embrace the spirit of the novel and simultaneously use a term that has been repeatedly used as a slur to undermine the ideas in the novel, that is going to turn off a segment of potential buyers.

Good Luck (honestly)